Category Archives: Adoptable pets

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We want to introduce the newest members of the GBHS family. Penny – who lives at the adoption center – had 6 puppies!

Penny, a black lab, gives birth to six pups

We love it when tiny paws come into the world, but our facility is not the best environment for a new mom dog and her pups because it’s crowded and noisy. These future pets need a quiet, calm environment during the next few weeks. At times like this, our need for foster parents goes from great to urgent.

So, what’s up with this foster program?

The GBHS Foster Parents provide short-term homes for kittens, puppies, dogs and cats who need need a little extra TLC before they can be adopted. Your spare bedroom or bathroom could be put to use giving puppies or kittens somewhere to grow for two to three weeks, or you could give a dog undergoing heart worm treatment somewhere soft to lay down at night for just a few short months.

By offering your time, love and attention, you prepare your foster dog or puppy for adoption into a permanent, loving home. Opening your heart and home to a pet in need is one of the most rewarding ways to make a difference. All you need is a small space and a lot of love—we supply everything else.

Foster Parents are required to attend a brief orientation session and must have all other pets in their home up to date on shots and spayed or neutered prior to having a GBHS pet placed with them.

If you are able to fill this need, please contact Stella Burton, gbhsfoster@gmail.com. For more information on Penny, her pups, or our foster program, please call (205) 942-1211.

This special cat needs a home for the holidays, and so do her furry friends! Help us reach our Operation Silent Night goal by adopting a pet before Dec. 24.

Rose wasn’t a big fan of living the shelter life, so one of our great fosters has given her a temporary home while she waits for a permanent one!

Her fur is very soft and she loves to snuggle and be petted. When it comes to her personality, Rose’s foster mom said, “She often rubs her head against my cheek and will even lay on top of me in that position. From the ground she will reach up and extend her body full length to reach up on my legs for attention.” It sounds like this cat will be your snuggle buddy forever! She also loves her perch by the window where she can look out into the yard. She is curious and likes to explore, too!

Rose would be probably be best suited in a peaceful home where she can have your lap all to herself, but you can always bring your other pets to meet Rose prior to adoption to get an idea of how they’d get along in your home.

If Rose sounds like the perfect pet for you, please send us an e-mail so we can set up a meet and greet for you and sweet Rose.

Just in case you haven’t heard yet, we wanted to give you an in-depth look at Operation Silent Night. This project is very near and dear to our hearts, and we hope it will be to yours, too. It all started Dec. 2, with #GivingTuesday, and lasts through Dec. 25.

Imagine Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in the adoption center. Can you hear the barking? Can you envision the cats peeking out from their favorite hiding spots? The cute puppies napping on their brothers and sisters?

Now imagine that the dogs are barking along while you sing Christmas carols. See the cats poking their heads out from around your sofa, then strutting over for you to pet them. Think about that snuggly puppy toddling over to you and falling asleep on your lap.

That is what Operation Silent Night is all about–ensuring that each adoptable pet has a safe, warm home to love them for at least one special night. The goal is have every pet in an adoptive or foster home by Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, making a night of silence at the GBHS.

Please consider adopting a pet this month, one that you will love and cherish for the rest of his or her years.

If you can’t commit to a lifetime of love, we’d love for you to foster a pet on December 24.
Send an e-mail to contactus@gbhs.org and be sure to include your name, address and phone number. We will get into contact with you and arrange your foster experience! Don’t worry, we provide everything you’ll need, including pet food, collars, leashes and more.

Not only will you be giving a pet a wonderful night’s (or life’s) stay, you’ll also be helping our dedicated staff. The pets in our care must be looked after 365 days a year, including holidays. By adopting or fostering during Operation Silent Night, you’ll be giving a little break to our staff who clean the kennels and care for the adoptable pets.

You can also donate supplies throughout December through YouGiveGoods. Visit our YouGiveGoods.com page, select the items you’d like to donate, pay for them and they’ll ship them straight to us. The best part is, you never even have to leave your couch!

Here’s another great story about a GBHS adoption! Anna and Janette came in over the weekend and adopted Abbott. If you’re thinking about following their example to add a furry family member over the holidays, you know where to find us! We’d love your help with Operation Silent Night, our big holiday project. Read more about it here. You can also tell us how you plan to help further our mission this month for chance to win 2 Jazz Cat Ball tickets, a $150 value! Enter here.

Now, without further adieu, here is Abbott’s story.

Yesterday we came in to view dogs and at the front desk in the seat was the most calm dog sitting well poised and all scruffily looking! It was Abbott!!! We adopted this little fellow, got him groomed and bought him some warm winter clothes and he was so happy on the drive to his new home! He is already so well trained from his previous owner. He is a perfect addition to our little family! Here is his before and after picture! Thank you for taking care of this little guy, the staff was wonderful!!!

Thank you!!
Anna and Janette

Thanks, Anna for sending us your story. Take a look at Abbott’s before and after pictures below!

Wondering what we are up to for the holidays? Let us fill you in, because there is something for everyone. We’ve got adoption specials, donation opportunities and an idea that’s going to take the help of many in our community.

Black Friday

On Black Friday, you can bring in any item from our wish list and we will give you $10 off your adoption fees! You can see all our adoptable pets here. They would all really love a warm, loving home for the holidays.

#GivingTuesday

This is a global day of giving, with a healthy serving of social media. See, there’s Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and now #GivingTuesday (#GT) is on December 3.

After shopping ’til you drop in the post-Thanksgiving rush, we hope you will join us on Dec. 3 to help the homeless pets of Birmingham. You can learn more about Giving Tuesday by watching their video below.

You Give Goods is partnering with #GT, and now donating supplies is easier than ever. Visit our You Give Goods page, pick out an item to donate, pay for it, they’ll send it straight to us, and you never even had to leave your couch. This is a great way to donate items even when you’re in the middle of the holiday rush! Our page will be open Dec. 3-31, 2013.

Don’t forget to tag #GivingTuesday and #TheGBHS when you participate!

Giving Tree

Giving Tuesday will kick off a whole season of giving for us. Our annual Giving Tree will begin Dec. 3 at the adoption center.

During December, we will have a Christmas tree in our lobby where you can help us decorate its branches with love. There will also be a tree at Colonial Brookwood Village, Dec. 7-15. Full Circle Boutique will also be participating by having a Giving Tree of their own.

Here’s how it works:

Stop by one of the locations listed above.

Choose your ornament. There are twelve options, and each features a GBHS alumni.

Give a monetary donation for the ornament, either for yourself, as a gift for a friend or in honor of someone.

Hang it on the tree to show your support for our mission.

We’ll give you a card that matches your ornament. Be sure to give it to the person you’ve honored! These make a great gift, especially for the pet lover who already has everything.

We are in the process of creating an entire Giving Orchard across Greater Birmingham. As many of you know, we would not be able to do the live-saving work we do without the help of this amazing community.

As always, you can also donate to the GBHS Giving Tree online by clicking here.

Operation Silent Night

How amazing would it be if every pet in our care had either a forever home or a temporary foster family to take care of them on Christmas Eve?

This year, we are taking on a huge project that we’ve affectionately dubbed Operation Silent Night. We are going to need everyone’s help to spread the word and make this dream a reality.

The idea is that each pet in our center would have someone to call their own by Dec. 24, and that the kennels would be completely silent, at least for one night. This is a huge undertaking, but the thought of the whole community pulling together to achieve the task is astounding. We know that with your help, Operation Silent Night can be a success.

This project will also kick-off on Dec. 3, with #GivingTuesday and Giving Tree. E-mail us to join our efforts for Operation Silent Night. Don’t forget to include your name, address and phone number!

I can’t donate or adopt at this time, but still want to help

You can! We all know how important social media and word of mouth are these days. We’re charging you with the task of sharing our message and goals to your friends and beyond.

Marilyn has had a tough life and needs a patient, loving foster guardian or owner to care for her.

She came to the GBHS from a cruelty case in December. She had been tied to a tree for a long time and was completely emaciated.

Since being at the facility, she has shown improvements. Greg Winters of Personal Dog Training has been working with her to prepare her for a new home.

She is small and dainty for a pit bull, and is a sweet people person! Marilyn needs a patient home that’s willing to work with her and show her that the outside world isn’t a scary place. She is frightened of being outside because she was left outdoors for so long. It is hard to tell how she will react to other dogs or small children, so for now she should be in a home with older family members and no other pets. A fenced yard might be ideal so that she can roam around outside without a leash.

Winters said, “She is a good natured dog who is looking for someone who can help her to continue to build confidence by exposing her to the world and things in a new way that blocks her default mechanism to flee.” He went on to say, “She likes people, taking walks and is generally respectful of people and other dogs boundaries.”

Once adopted, Winters will donate two training sessions to help Marilyn settle in to her new home. Then, the GBHS will continue to provide training for as long as Marilyn needs it. The GBHS can make this commitment through the Skipper Fund.

For more information on Marilyn, call the GBHS at (205) 942-1211 or shoot us an e-mail.

A puppy named Carlisle was lucky enough to be fostered in the home of a professional photographer. His foster mom submitted a photo of him to The Bark, where he was featured in issue 73 of the magazine! Check it out on Chikadeez’s blog.

Carlisle has since been adopted and is with his new family.

Morals of the story:

Adopt from the GBHS and you may have a celebrity on your hands!

Foster pets from the GBHS and you can help create a wonderful story that will help send them to loving forever families, whether the animals you care for are published or not.